John Korir’s 2025 Boston Marathon did not start on a good note. He tripped very early in the race, fell on the road, and his bib number came loose. He briefly lost rhythm and position in the pack, but he got back up, stayed calm, and still fought his way to victory. That comeback made people believe 2026 could be even bigger for him. And it was.
On April 20, Kenya’s John Korir won the men’s 2026 Boston Marathon in 2:01:52, finishing 55 seconds ahead of Tanzania’s Alphonce Felix Simbu. With that run, Korir produced the fastest winning time ever recorded in the Boston Marathon.
Interestingly, in doing so, he also broke one of the longest-standing records in the sport. The previous course record of 2:03:02, set by Geoffrey Mutai in 2011, had lasted 15 years before Korir finally took it down with a performance more than a minute faster.
For breaking the Boston Marathon course record with a time of 2:01:52 Defending Champion will get a prize money Bonus of
50K on top of
150k for winning the race.
John Korir SHATTERS Boston Marathon course record by over a minute
Kes 25.83 Million pic.twitter.com/E9kOAmcSrN
— Shadrack Kevin (@shadrackevin1) April 20, 2026
Behind him, Simbu finished in 2:02:47 and Benson Kipruto in 2:02:50, with both runners also going under the previous record. The result also extends a long drought for American men. The last U.S. champion remains Meb Keflezighi, who won in 2014 with a time of 2:08:37, and no American man has claimed the title since.
Korir also earned a six-figure payout of $150,000, including a $50,000 bonus for breaking the course record in addition to the winner’s prize. This brings his total earnings to roughly $200,000, or about KSh 25.8 million.
This is a developing story…
